


Fake It

by Townycod13



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: M/M, Not In Chronological Order, Ugh, dumbness, fake dating au, good ship, lol what am i doing with my life, random inspiration, so it branches off in weird ways, sort of canon but then ken makes bad life choices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-02 05:41:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 3,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8653036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Townycod13/pseuds/Townycod13
Summary: Ichijouji Ken has a fool proof plan. He just kinda forgets that he's an awkward emotionally stunted individual.





	1. Chapter 1

"I-I like you! Would you please go out with m-me?"

Vaguely, Takeru realized the poor guy looked familiar.

His head was bowed though and his eyes clenched shut. Takeru was positive it was the guys first time confessing, judging from the way his voice cracked alone. He'd obviously been _attempting_ to sound charming but choked on his own voice.

Takeru was only dragged away from his deducing by the boy peeking an eye open and startling, staring at Takeru with something akin to fear and panic.

Did his expression look that shocked? Takeru knew he was taken aback, he hadn't been expecting to receive a confession, much less one from a boy but that still didn't excuse scaring the boy.

It didn't take long for Takeru to gather himself and adjust his expression to something a bit less intimidating but there was still the matter of how to respond... purple eyes watched him cautiously, nervously, panicked, and regretful.

It was probably the regret that made up Takeru's mind for him.

Takeru smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring fashion, "I'd love to, but first I should probably know your name..."

Ichijouji Ken sputtered at the miscalculation, clumsily introducing himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Takeru smiled.

It was a stupid moment that should have passed right by Ken, he had bigger things, bigger plans.

It shouldn't have even been a moment.

He'd like to say he ignored it.

He'd like to say he missed it.

_Winter doesn't seem so cold with fingers interlocked._

It was a stupid ad, Ken can't even remember what it was for, probably a fast food restaurant or a tissue, he didn't really understand, nor want to understand, advertisement anyway.

Takeru had noticed Ken staring in it's direction. If Ken opened his stupid mouth he could have told the idiot that he was wrong, that Ken had been instead staring at another ad boasting an electronics sale. He needed a new fan for his computer.

But Takeru had acted before Ken could even begin to think to correct him.

Ken would never, ever, ever admit it, but it was true. Winter didn't seem so cold.

It must have somehow shown on Ken's face though because Takeru smiled.

And Ken could not handle that face. Ken _hated_ that face. Ken wanted to _destroy_ that face.

He also wanted to cry but he wasn't about to think about that.

Takeru's smile is at fault really, Ken was tired of this charade.

It was time to put an end to it.


	3. Chapter 3

The first time Ken saw the heads or tails of the Chosen Children was in mid summer. It had been a terribly successful summer thus far, he'd made countless conquests in the digital world, and it was just barely beginning to become challenge-less.

He had cleared every conceivable level in the ridiculous game and yet more would appear. It was boring and exciting and endless.

He was very proud of his accomplishments in the digital world. There was nothing that could stand in his way.

Then Motomiya Daisuke and his lot showed up.

Ken entered the fall semester agitated and intrigued with the prospect of challenge.

But they were bumbling idiots. All of them, from the older high school students to his fellow middle-school students, idiots unworthy of his attention.

He had _thought_ , given their level of intelligence, their defeat would be inevitable.

 _But they kept winning_.

It was slowly driving him a bit crazy, how on earth could a bunch of new players, a bunch of idiots at that, keep one-upping him? How did they know secrets to the game that even _he_ didn't know? He had been studying the digital world for _years_ now. No one knew it as well as he did.

...and yet these novices did.

Eventually, he decided, they must have access to some kind of cheat. Nothing else made any sense.

It was this realization that would lead to his fall.


	4. Chapter 4

The idea would have normally never occurred to him. He'd been debating how to get to their cheat when he'd heard an all too familiar voice on the subway.

His first reaction had been irritation at the loud voice, who talked that loud on the subway?

The second was recognition.

Purple hair caught his eye for conformation and he watched in shock as the Chosen Child ranted at her younger companion about wanting a boyfriend. Her younger, and seemingly far more mature companion, nodded sympathetically and attempted fruitlessly to get her to lower her voice.

It all just clicked in that moment and he got so caught up in planning that he didn't spare a single thought for how uncomfortable it might be. He was confident in his people skills after all.


	5. Chapter 5

A lump had built in his throat that he couldn't describe.

He had planned everything perfectly.

He knew the absolute best way to do this.

He'd studied countless scenarios and narrowed down the most 'romantic' one.

He never got nervous in the digital world, nor around the countless boring and annoying this around him, but somehow...

Somehow he messed up here.

The plan, at least the gist of it, was simply to bump into her here. Converse lightly, perhaps exchange information, and confess at a later date.

She had been on course the last he'd checked.

Everything would go fine.

But a lump built in his throat.

And he shut his eyes as he bumped into her.

And promptly forgot his entire script.

He panicked and skipped to the only lines he could remember.

"I-I like you! Would you please go out with m-me?"

 _His voice cracked_.

 _His plan was ruined_.

It took him longer than he cared to admit to look up and face what would surely be the perturbed face of Inoue Miyako.

He instead saw the surprised face of the blond Chosen Child.

Miyako, for the record, had changed course last minute in order to buy a snack real quickly, telling Takeru to go on without her.


	6. Chapter 6

He stood proudly, arrogantly, as the Chosen Children gaped. They were trapped, all except the youngest and he really wasn't much of a threat, and he at _last_ had _finally_ ended the charade.

It was vindicating, seeing all their shock at the sight of his face.

It was a _relief_ and—

His breath hitched.

He hadn't looked at Takeru's face yet.

He snarled, there wasn't any reason to hesitate, it would be yet another relief to stare down the naive boy.

The Kaiser didn't know what he was expecting to see on Takeru's face, sadness, anger, heartbreak, shock... really, he had no idea.

He did know that he wasn't expecting the expression he saw.

It was slightly steely, perhaps still a bit surprised but...

...but...

Takeru's face was closed off almost... no, it was the same face, expressions he was used to.

That was what worried him the most.

A sharp pain assaulted him.

Takeru didn't look at all impacted by the news.

Ken's felt his frown tighten and he glared darkly at the other boy, heart pounding painfully and fingers digging into the whip held in his right hand.

"Maggot."


	7. Chapter 7

Takeru's face twisted into a look Ken had never seen on his face before, "Is that all you can say?"

Ken flinched back from the tone.

There was... malice there.

Ken clenched the whip and glared, he knew exactly how to treat pathetic maggots that didn't know their place.

The sound of hard material smacking flesh hit the hall and Takeru held his bruised cheek absently.

He didn't know what he was expecting but he wasn't expecting Takeru to just stand there, unshaken.

Why?! Why couldn't he _ever_ understand Takeru?! Why did it always feel like the blond boy had the upper hand?!

Takeru laughed hollowly again, "Do you always resort to violence?"

Ken couldn't stop the step back he took, it was instinctive.

The other boy smiled serenely, "Well if you're quite done..."

Ken's eyes shot open while panic froze his body, Takeru was approaching at a brisk pace until...

Takeru breathed, a mere inch from Ken's ear, "...but then I'd have to stoop to your level of pathetic."

Ken couldn't feel anything except the blood pulsing beneath his skin and the unpleasantly warm spot left from Takeru's words. His own voice was lost.

Takeru huffed out another laugh at his dispense and began to walk away.

Ken only found his voice because the sound of Takeru's footsteps echoing was unbearable and insidious.

Ken hated it.

Ken hated everything about Takeru.

His roaring blood and thudding heart agreed heartily.

"MAGGOT!" he yelled again, aiming his whip at the other boy with precise aim, "MAGGOT!"

Takeru turned and caught the whip, as if Ken was predictable, as if there was no surprise in this. He sighed, eyeing Ken boredly before tearing the whip out of his grip and throwing it aside.

"Again, in order to sink to your level," he wiped his hands off on his pants to make a point, "I'd have to touch you."

The disgust, if nothing else, rang loud and clear in the empty hall.


	8. Chapter 8

The surprise, and partial jealousy, over the knowledge that Takeru was currently dating the miraculous genius Ichijouji Ken that was all over the news was widely understated.

In Daisuke’s case he spent a long time loudly deciding what he wanted to do with this information, jumping from wanting Ken’s autograph to asking how this happened to demanding to have a soccer match to whatever next occurred to him. In the midst of his disorganized demands Iori is _pretty_ sure he caught at one point surprise over Takeru’s apparent sexual orientation but that was widely secondary to everything else.

Iori himself congratulated his neighbor, happy to know that his friend was most likely happy with the development.

Miyako’s response was similar to Daisuke’s but with more emphasis on how lucky Takeru is.

Oddly, the only person who made any real or coherent commentary on Takeru’s orientation was Hikari, but it was more of a passing and just a bit snarky comment on how long Takeru had intended to hide the information.

Takeru hadn’t really intended to spring it on them at all really. He wasn’t planning to lie about it or anything but in his mind, he’d tell Hikari probably first as his best friend. Let Daisuke figure it out on his own, and perhaps talk about it cheerfully to Miyako and Iori on the way home from school.

It wasn’t really a big deal to him, he hadn’t even recognized Ichijouji-kun as the genius boy from the news until later in the evening when he was mentioned on a variety show. As for Takeru’s orientation he’d be hard pressed to say what it was, as of yet outside of a brief crush on Sora when he was small, he’d never really cared for romance one way or another.

As it wasn’t a big deal to him, he didn’t really want a big deal made of it.

But as luck would have it, while he was replying to an email from Ichijouji-kun Miyako had snuck up on him and spotted the name. She, of course, had recognized it instantly due to her extremely one-sided computer based rivalry with the genius boy that widely consisted of her throwing popcorn at the television and saying that ‘I can do that too!’.

Miyako had immediately begun an interrogation as to the rational of Takeru sending an email to _Ichijouji-kun_ about plans to _meet_ later.

Hikari had seemed amused by the interrogation, seemingly having guessed the explanation before anyone really had reason to.

And Takeru really didn’t intend to hide it so he spilled the beans.


	9. Chapter 9

Wormon narrowly avoided the cup that came smashing through the air. It hadn’t been specifically aimed at the small digimon but as luck would have it, Wormon had been in its path.

The sound of glass shattering was the only sound left to illustrate the emotions of the boy glaring at the screen.

Takeru was smiling and laughing while Patamon played happily on his stupid hat and Hikari commented on something else that they both found amusing. Daisuke of course joined in for the fun with a funny face and a weirder pose.

Wormon eyed his masters clenched shaking fist, Ken’s expression was entirely hooded by the use of shadows and those giant glasses that Wormon didn’t really care for but that didn’t really matter.

He hadn’t seen Ken’s face clear of those for years, he had learned how to read the boys barely seen face better than most could read a clear and open face.

Takeru was laughing and Ken didn’t like it.

It was reasonable, Wormon supposed, the other boy had not showed one bit of the anticipated reaction Ken had expected after the betrayal.

Ken had reasoned at the time that revealing his betrayal would weaken them. Make them question their bonds and become unable to fight clearly.

He hadn’t anticipated the reaction he’d received.

Although most of them were angry and hurt, Miyako and Iori specifically seemed to be holding a rather large grudge against him, Hikari had just looked concerned. Daisuke, for his part, had refused to ‘give up on him’, staking claim in the tentative friendship the two boys had started under the false pretense of dating Takeru.

And Takeru...

Wormon hadn’t like Takeru’s response either. It had been too cold. And apathetically cruel.

As though Ken didn’t matter at all.

It wasn’t what Ken had expected or wanted. Wormon was hard pressed to label what the poor boy had wanted from this entire folly endeavor, but he knew without a doubt that this was not what intended.

Ken thought that Wormon couldn’t see when he wanted to cry. He barely registered the smaller being’s presence in the room and if anything, his face was guarded from watchful eyes.

But Wormon saw more than Ken ever wanted him to.

And he knew Ken’s shoulders weren’t just shaking in anger.


	10. Chapter 10

Takeru had been a bit uneasy about dating Ken to begin with.

The boy was cute, sure, but Takeru hadn’t really the faintest idea what to date someone really was. How was he supposed to behave? What was he supposed to do?

He’d settled for not over-thinking it, as freaking out over nothing wasn’t really his thing, and instead opted to ask the boy who had shakily shared his mail address out on a date.

Initially he’d thought to do a movie date, keeping it simple and cliché in order to gauge the reaction, but he thought about the smirking boy he’d seen on TV and thought better of it.

They were going to an amusement park.

Three rides later with a slightly distraught stomach, Ken sat down feeling winded from the day and unsure how he’d been dragged into this uneasy pace.

When Takeru offered him a cool drink and a playful smile, Ken only brooded a little at the entire scenario and instead relaxed in silence.

It was quiet after that. Once Takeru had finished bringing him through situations where he had no choice but to grumpily glower on rides that were faster than he was comfortable with, the boy had become increasingly gentle and one of these gentle notions was to leave Ken in comfortable silence.

Ken didn’t even have time to remember that he was trying to interrogate Takeru for information on the digital world before the date was done, concluding after a comfortable dinner at a family restaurant and separating for different trains.

Takeru briefly regretted knocking the boy off balance like that, not quite anticipating how much pride he apparently had. Most would have stated that roller coasters made them uncomfortable long before they rode _three_ coasters.

It was kinda cute to be honest.

Takeru found himself half-laughing the entire way home.

Ken just couldn’t figure out how he’d been talked out of paying for his portion of dinner.


	11. Chapter 11

Ken’s initial plan to foil the Chosen Children during the reveal had been foiled in a fashion that he would later have to grudgingly admit was his own folly.

In the midst of the confusion and drama, he had been outwitted by the smallest of them all.

While the child’s armored digimon freed his companions, the young one rounded on him. Firmly glaring from his position more than a foot below the Digimon Kaiser.

“We trusted you.”

Ken sneered, “So?”

Iori’s face turned steely, “How could you.”

They both knew what he was referring to but Ken chose to disregard the sentiment, ignoring the rock that dropped in his stomach at the words.

Ignoring how Iori’s language had dropped from it’s usual politeness.

Ignoring how Takeru’s unaffected face left him shaken.

Ken should have been grateful that Iori was not a violent individual, the outcome might have been very different if he was.

All Ken could really do was retreat as he was beaten back by the renewed vigor of the chosen children, Iori’s words, spoken and unspoken, gnawing at him.


	12. Chapter 12

“Ya know... I think I really like him.”

Takeru, Miyako, and Iori were spending time in Takeru’s living room, the current activity was a whole lot of nothing. Miyako was tinkering with her new laptop (she had _plans_ for it), Iori was studying (although if they were totally honest his primary attention was on the snacks Takeru’s mom had left), and Takeru had been hanging upside down from the couch for awhile now staring at the ceiling.

It wasn’t totally normal Takeru behavior but the other two figured he was thinking about something so it was best to leave him be.

Miyako’s first reaction was almost to ask who the heck he was talking about before she remembered the frequent topics of most recent conversations with Takeru.

That, along with the exuberant amount of time the boy had been dedicating to his boyfriend recently was reason enough for both Miyako and Iori to be rather unimpressed at this ‘revelation’.

“You think.” Miyako said blandly.

Takeru had yet to catch on to the sarcasm and continued on, “I mean... he’s kinda cute? Okay, he might be more than a little cute. He’s got a giant ego and I thought at first it might be a problem but I don’t know...”

Miyako had returned to tinkering, tuning out the lovesick moron in the room. Iori was trapped still paying attention because he was too polite to ignore him.

“...it almost makes him more cute? He tries so hard to be tough and pretend he knows everything but when he’s surprised he gets so flustered. He tries to cover it up but the more I get to know him the more noticeable it becomes.”

Iori’s rescue came in the form of more snacks, Takeru’s mom dropping in to check up on them with a plate of crackers. Iori held back his sigh of relief and thought, for just a moment, that would be the end of it, but Takeru was extra determined today apparently.

“Hey mom, how do you know if you like someone?”

And that was how Iori lost all opportunity to study as he was trapped between a not-so-hypothetical love talk with Takeru, his mom, and Miyako when her interest had been caught again.

Iori’s wasn’t really sure he could forgive this Ichijouji-san person.


End file.
